Chicken Stock That’s Better Than That Store-bought Crap.

In the grand scheme of things, I can rarely think of a skill that is of better benefit in the kitchen than knowing how to make stock. With the right tools this simple procedure is fairly effortless, yet the rewards are astronomical. Okay, that’s a little hyperbolic, but this stuff is way better than that sodium-laden chicken-flavored water that you buy at the market.

As winter approaches, my apartment spends more and more days smelling like stock. Whether it be chicken stock, veg stock, or occasionally pork stock from some large cut I’ve deboned, fall and winter weather is stock weather. While some would argue that the flavors of pumpkin spice signal the arrival of fall, I would argue that stocks and other soup bases truly let us know that summer is over and the world as we know it is going into hibernation yet again.

If you’re just starting out or you’re teaching a kid about things to make in the kitchen, this should be the first thing you master doing… other than learning how to use a knife without ending up in the emergency room.

Stocks can be an effortless way to add flavor to grain dishes and are obviously essential for making soups and stews. If you’re at all like me and don’t really stock a lot of frozen food, a mountain of frozen stock can keep your freezer running better too. A fuller freezer functions better and most dishes function better with the addition of stock as opposed to water.

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Stock vs. Broth: A breakdown.

While some may use these terms interchangeably, trust me, they are somewhat different animals. Here’s a quick breakdown in bullet points:

• Broth is made mostly from animal flesh, while stock uses the bone. Stock makes use of the connective tissue that turns into fatty gelatin for its flavor and can add a lot of flavor from the breakdown of cartilage. Both can, and should, ideally be made from scraps. Vegetable stock would obviously be the exception as there aren’t really any vegetable bones.
• Broth tends to be fully seasoned and flavored, while stock is usually unseasoned to allow for more versatility.
• Both make use of aromatic vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. For the most part, both of these can be interchanged in recipes.
• Both of these are way better when you make them yourself.

The recipe that follows is a bit of a cross between the two, but I still consider it a stock because it’s mostly from chicken bones and connective tissue. While I do add a little salt and pepper to the mix, I would not consider it ready to be used in something like a chicken soup without some serious seasoning. I essentially want it to not taste like fatty chicken water if I taste it, but I still want it to be a bit bland. Hell, some times I even put poultry herb blends in the stock as it cooks. But your stock should not be fully seasoned. Stock should be all-purpose, a blank canvas with which to paint a sturdy foundation.

Instant Pot vs. Stovetop:

Okay. I know not everyone has the space or the budget for large kitchen tools, but I love the shit out of my Instant Pot. I use it primarily for meats and stews that would take hours to properly cook, but the reason I bought the biggest one was so that I could make metric fucktons of chicken stock. As the addiction naturally spread to other types of stock, my Instant Pot became an essential part of the kitchen.

The recipe I’ll be describing will be following the stovetop method, but can be easily adapted to be made in your Instant Pot. If you have one, I highly suggest making it there. You don’t have to babysit a simmering pot of hot liquid for hours and you don’t have to skim off disgusting chicken scum like you do on the stovetop.

Yeah, the boiling water creates a bunch of denatured proteins from the meat that still clings to the bones. For the most part, this stuff is harmless, but it can be kind of gross and not the most visually appealing. You can avoid this by blanching the bones in boiling water for a minute or two and then using them for your stock (more on that later) or making it in something that doesn’t boil, like a pressure cooker.

If you want to use this recipe in the Instant Pot, just toss everything in, fill it up to a water level that’s safe, and let it cook for about 1-2 hours. Let it vent naturally and then remove all of the solids. Seriously easy. Hell, I’ve got a batch going right now as I’m typing this. I had forgotten about it until I heard the vent click that it was done.

Pro Tips:

• Make sure to skim off the scum that forms as the water starts to boil. You can use a flat mesh strainer or even just a wooden spoon. As I mentioned above, you can skip a lot of that step by blanching and then rinsing your bones before hand. Just plop the chicken carcass and feet into a pot of boiling water and let them sit for a minute. Then strain out the liquid and give them a quick rinse.
• The vegetables don’t need to be cut up super fine or pretty. This sort of thing may be a good way to practice some knife skills as the veg doesn’t need to be similar in size for cooking consistency. You’re Bunnicula with this veg. You’re just draining out the flavor, who cares what it looks like?
• Storing your stock in 16 oz (2 cup) reusable deli cups is a perfect way to freeze them and then have them portioned out and ready to go. You can use 32 oz deli cups as well if you plan on using stock in greater quantities. I usually don’t fill them up all of the way since it expands when freezing. The fix for this is pretty alright though, as I tend to add a bit of water to the pan when I reheat them as not to scorch my cookware. It all tends to even out that way and not make a giant mess of my freezer.
• To further this point, if you have a recipe that calls for say, 1.5 cups as opposed to 2 cups of stock, boil it a little further from frozen to get it to reduce. I use 2 cups as my storage of choice because I’ve found that most recipes call for about that much stock, or at least multiples of two.
• Let your stock cool a bit before you start storing it. At least 20 minutes will do, but no longer than an hour.
• If you’re planning on making stock soon, don’t be afraid to save some vegetable trimmings. Furthermore, veg that’s about to go bad would be better in your stock than in your trash.
• Most butchers buy chickens whole and then carve them up to sell to the general public, leaving the carcass behind for stock. If you can’t find a butcher near you that sells chicken carcasses, consider making your own! Get an organic chicken (basically one with no salt water injected into it) and cut that fucker up yourself. Then you’ve got chicken for dinner and carcass for stock. Win. Win.
• If you don’t feel comfortable taking apart a whole chicken and can’t find carcasses, using just chicken feet should be fine. Most Latino/Hispanic markets will have these on hand. If you can’t find either, just get a big package of chicken wings. It’s not as good as using the feet, but I’ve made decent stock when that was all I had available.
• When you’re ready to transfer a huge pot of stock to smaller containers, you might want to consider pouring small bits into a smaller pot. That way you can re-strain it as you pour it into a glass measuring cup to get your 2 cup measures. Trust me, trying to measure 2 cups from a stock pot is a tragedy waiting to happen.
• Also, fine strain that velvety stock as you’re going from the big pot to the smaller pot. That way you aren’t trying to strain and measure at the same time.